Ruling Party's Sofia Mayor Candidate: Care for People instead for Bumpy Roads

Novinite Insider » INTERVIEW | October 22, 2003, Wednesday // 00:00
Ruling Party's Sofia Mayor Candidate: Care for People instead for Bumpy Roads Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (novinite.com)

Vassil Ivanov became Bulgaria's Sports Minister in 2002, after stepping into the country's political life only a year ago - in 2001. Then he took on membership in the National Council of ruling Simeon II National Movement. Until that time he was part of the managing team of popular Levski football club and, since 1997, the President of the Bulgarian Boxing Federation.

Ivanov - together with his wife - has also been running a chain of 17 confectionaries and fast food restaurants. The chain was named after his favorite performer Luciano Pavarotti, which gave the minister his nickname Luciano.

Vassil Ivanov answered questions of novinite.com


Q: How does the post of Sofia mayor attract you?

A: A mayor has enough power to solve many of the existing problems in the city. Unfortunately, Sofia is not exactly the capital we would like to have as we enter the European Union, and 2007 - the year of our planned entry - is just around the corner. I would not say that in Sofia one could live a peaceful life, or that people who have good ideas have many opportunities of doing business. It's a withered city with a decayed center and frayed and ugly suburbs. The most important problem is that people here don't get what they deserve - opportunities to develop, safety, places to relax and have fun.

Q: What advantages does your experience give you before the other candidates for the post? Who do you see as your main rival?

A: I've climbed all the steps of society, gone through all kinds of social groups. I know well the whole colorful mixture of social groups that Sofia's residents form. I know the truth about bureaucracy, about the reckless number of permit and license regimes. In my capacity of sports minister I kept all the promises I had made. My greatest advantage is that everything I have come to be involved in proved to be a success. With due respect for all the mayor candidates, I see each of them as my main rival.

Q: Which is the gravest problem Sofia faces today?

A: Lack of care for the people is a far more serious problem than bumpy roads, busting of illegally parked cars or the peeling facades of the buildings. Young people who want to practice some sport have very few opportunities of doing it because of lack of such facilities. Nor do you have much of a choice if you want to have some fun. Suburban districts remain the "bedroom" of downtown Sofia - people need to get to the center of the city if they want to do something new. If not all of us have been robbed, at least everyone knows people who suffered an assault. Children do not know any more a sense of community and their parents have turned into some kind of bodyguards, having to go and pick them from school. And there are other problems too...

Q: What would be your occupation if you suffer defeat in the upcoming elections?

A: I didn't enter this race with the presumption of losing.

Q: How did you benefit from your political experience so far? How did it disappoint you?

A: I benefited in many ways - by expanding my horizons I got the opportunity of doing a job that could help many people. I entered the country's political life just two years ago but have been involved in social labor long before that. My wife and I started contributing to different charity events as soon as family business started going well. However, I have bee disappointed by people misinterpreting my words.

Q: Do you have any friends among members of rival political parties?

A: Of course I do. I never judged people by their political views or professional qualifications.

Q: What would you make relinquish your political career?

А: If I faced some health problems, or if I started to lose my family's support.

Q: Describe yourself as a person and as a professional.

A: I am stubborn but I admit my mistakes when it happens. I take on responsibility for my own actions, and sometimes even for those of other people. I have a gift for talking to people and getting on well with them even if we have different opinions. I am always late for my appointments and often have to revise my schedule for the day. But I cannot close a meeting just because the time given has run out.

Q: What were the last book, and the last CD you bought?

A: I bought Leadership by Rudolf Juliani and Anrea Bocelli's last album.

Q: Tell us a joke that really made you laugh heartily...

A: An American, a Frenchman and a Bulgarian were captured by some cannibals. The captives started begging for mercy, and the cannibals' leader agreed to give them a last chance of staying alive. He would give each of them the tribe's totems - two stone-made balls - for half an hour. Whoever managed to use them for making a miracle happen, would be released. The American took the balls first and came out with a plot for selling them at a high price, buying another four balls, and so on - in a way to become very rich. The chieftain, however, already had such an idea, and they threw the poor prisoner into the cauldron. Next was the Frenchman. He tried to juggle with the balls, which made little impression on the cannibals and they ate him too. The stone balls were then given to the Bulgarian, and only five minutes later the cannibals, astounded, were running around and shouting: What a miracle! The Bulgarian had the balls for five minutes only, and broke one after losing the other!

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